


brotherhood, or the art of growing up

by finneli



Category: Tuck Everlasting - Miller/Tysen/Shear & Federle, Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Brothers, Family Dynamics, Family Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:14:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23105314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/finneli/pseuds/finneli
Summary: As the Tucks meet up for another reunion, Miles faces the struggle of playing the role of the mature older brother for eternity, and Jesse is once again reminded of how he'll never truly be an adult.Musical-verse because I haven't read the book yet.
Relationships: Angus Tuck/Mae Tuck, Jesse Tuck & Miles Tuck
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	brotherhood, or the art of growing up

**Author's Note:**

> so i was working on chapter 2 of my other fanfic when i saw a high school production of tuck and was reminded how hard it slaps. the inspiration bug wouldn't leave me alone, so i had to get this out before working on buy the farm.
> 
> yes i am planning more chapters for this! i love the tuck brothers and i think their dynamic isn't explored enough in the musical.

The year was 1873, and Mae Tuck was finally, _finally_ going to see her boys again. They hadn’t been together since the ’63 family reunion. She’d spent the entire week cooking and cleaning to prepare for the arrival of her children.

Miles, compassionate, reliable Miles and her optimistic baby boy Jesse were coming home!

“Yes, dear, I know,” her husband Angus laughed gently. “Just like they did a decade ago, and a decade before that, and so on ever since they left.”

“I know, I know!” Mae laughed as well. “Maybe it is a bit ridiculous. Or maybe I just love them more than you do!” she chirped, leading Angus to wrap his arms around her waist and twirl her around.

“How dare you accuse me of such a thing, my love?” He murmured into her ear. She beamed as she thought that maybe living like this forever… wouldn’t be as bad as they’d feared.

Until she remembered that one of her sons was abandoned by his wife and lost his child forever, and that her other son would be seventeen for eternity, never having a fully developed brain and never getting to be an adult. That… put a damper on things.

Still, she loved her boys to the moon and back, just the way they were (and always would be…). Even if she had to mourn her dreams of the big loving families her sons would cultivate. Even if she couldn’t have any more grandchildren from Miles, or any grandchildren at all from Jesse (God forbid. The boy is _seventeen!_ Eighty-two, but seventeen).

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of voices outside. One childlike and bright, the other dark and irritable. She cursed under her breath. She’d meant for them to arrive separately, so she could buffer any fight that could break out. The brothers loved each other, but Jesse had a way of getting on Miles’s every last nerve.

It figured that for _once_ Jesse arrived on time, and she wasn’t ready.

She and Angus rushed out of the cabin to see the boys shoving each other, both talking at the same time.

“Miles, why do you gotta be such a stick in the mud-”

“Will you just leave me alone for once, Jesse? I just-”

“Boys!” Mae called excitedly, with an underlying hint of _if you don’t stop fighting and get in this damn house right now, I swear to God you’ll regret it for at_ least _another twenty years._

Jesse was the first to snap out of the fighting frame of mind, as he usually was. Miles would say it’s because he’s so shallow that he doesn’t care about hurting anybody in his roller coaster of emotions. Mae would smack his arm and say that Jesse’s just a child, go easy on him, to which Miles would point out that _is he really still a child after all these years? Can’t he have grown up just a little bit?_ , and Mae wouldn’t have a response to that.

“Ma! Pa!” Jesse beamed, rushing forward to pull both of them into a hug.

Angus laughed and clapped him on the back. “Go easy on us, kid, we’re very old.”

Jesse rolled his eyes as he pulled away. “No, you’re not.”

Miles stepped forward (shoving his brother out of the way) and hugged both of his parents as well. “It’s really good to see you again.”

Mae looked him over for any changes in his appearance. Of course, she came up empty. “Miles, darling. What have you been up to?”

“Well, I-”

“I went to Europe!” Jesse interrupted gleefully. “I went for a few months, and I planned to come back, but I heard there was a nasty war going on here, so I stayed for some-odd years.”

“Jesse, please let your brother speak,” Angus said as Miles gave Jesse a glare that would certainly kill him on the spot if he could die.

Jesse stepped back, putting his hands up. “What? I’m excited! Who wants to hear about boring Miles’s boring ten years not doing nothing when you could hear about me seeing Paris and Rome?”

“Jesse-” Mae started, but was cut off by the older brother.

“You know, Jesse, not everything is _about_ you. Sometimes other people get to talk. I’m _really sorry_ to have to break this to you, but no one _asked_ for your thoughts. No one _ever_ asks you for your thoughts.”

“My thoughts are great! _Your_ thoughts are all depressing, like, ‘oh, woe is me, I hate my life but I’m gonna complain instead of trying to make it better!’”

Brothers know how to hit each other where it hurts.

“Is that right? Well, at least I’ve _grown up,_ which is something that you apparently _can’t bring yourself to do._ ”

Brothers really know.

“I’ve grown up just as much as you! We’re like, the same age basically!”

“Oh, really? Then why am I the one with a good head on my shoulders and a realistic view of things, while you’re the one still acting like a _child?_ ”

“ _Enough!_ ” Angus pulled the boys apart. “Jesse, go inside and unpack.”

“But-”

“I mean _now._ ”

Jesse withered under his parents’ disapproving glares. He gripped his bag tightly as he shoved past Miles and into the house.

“Miles,” Mae said gently, “Miles, you need to go easier on him. He’s just a boy.”

“He’s almost a hundred years old,” Miles replied dully.

Mae sighed. He was technically right, but… “He’s still a child. He’s always going to be a child. Scold him all you want, but please don’t stoop to petty insults.”

“Petty insults? I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true!”

“He’s a kind boy, Miles. He’s just… overexcited. There was absolutely _no need_ to tell him that we don’t care about his thoughts. That’s ridiculous.”

“Well, I don’t care.” Miles crossed his arms. “Not if he’s going to call me boring before I even tell you all what I’ve been up to. Of course I don’t care. Can you blame me?”

“Miles,” Angus cut in, probably sensing that Mae’s patience was running low. They knew each other well like that. “Nobody’s asking you to care. But we care. He’s our son, too. Miles, we love you, but please, please try not to be so _angry_ this time.”

“What’s that mean?” Miles furrowed his brow, looking worried.

“You tend to… get angry at the world and take it out on your brother,” Mae said softly, gently. Miles started to speak up, but she quieted him down with one shake of her head. “I know that Jesse can be a bit bigheaded. I know he gets too big for his britches. But you tend to focus on the things he does wrong as an excuse for letting out your anger.” She paused, letting Miles say his piece, but he stayed silent. “I love you, darling. Your father loves you. Your brother loves you. We’re all here to reunite, to laugh, to be a family again. If you’re angry, tell us the real reason. Don’t use Jesse as a scapegoat.”

“I’m sorry,” Miles breathed. “I- I should apologize to him.”

Angus shook his head. “He’s going to apologize to you first. I’ll make sure of it.”

Miles shifted his weight a few times. “It is… really good to see you all again. I missed you two a lot.”

Mae raised her eyebrows at him pointedly.

Miles sighed. “You _three,_ I mean.”

Mae smiled, satisfied.

“I’ve an idea,” Angus said. “Miles, let’s go fishing again!”

“Right now?”

“Right now. Come, let’s go.”

Mae gave her husband a grateful kiss on the cheek. It was probably a good idea to let the brothers cool off before bringing them together again, after all. “Have fun, boys,” she called as they started their trek down to the lake.

Now, she thought. Now it’s time to talk to Jesse.


End file.
